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Feature Letter: Insulting comments irk pot patients

posted Feb 26, 2014 at 5:00 AM

As new residents of Sooke, we have taken an interest in your local ways and news, and have nothing but good to say about this beautiful town, except perhaps some of it’s reporters seem to indulge in spreading misinformation — specifically marijuana-related news as is our interest as medical marijuana patients.

Attacks on medical marijuana patients and their current plight is not only hurtful and belittling, but Mr. Fletcher seems to be making his stories up as he goes along. Where did he get his information? And how did he calculate the specific number of medical marijuana patients in any given area? By his own confession, these numbers are not known to anyone except Health Canada. Is Mr. Fletcher privy to private health information of this province’s people? How does he know that half of the 38,000 patients live in B.C.? Sensationalism or propaganda? His words are sarcastic and by his own admissions baseless, since “Ottawa’s bungled medical pot scheme conceals the location of licensed growers from provincial and local governments.” Except Mr. Fletcher?

First of all, we, as Canadians have been given the right to grow our own herbal medicine and we take it seriously. We can now (until April 1) control our own health, by growing organically and carefully choosing our seeds for strength and characteristics suited to our individual medical needs. We take an interest in our medicine and oppose corporate approach akin to big pharma. Now we live in fear of police raids on our homes, private medical information out there for public consumption, humiliation and ostracism. How has that made it any safer? For who? And who is Mr Fletcher to decide what a “genuine condition” is? And yes, Mr. Fletcher, marijuana is a good medicinal remedy for your beloved pets too.

The RCMP Inspector is “going to go after all of them”? When in history have your medical records and private information been publicly displayed and challenged by police forces?

Mr. Fletcher’s mentions of prisons and motor cycle gangs are completely irrelevant to the medical marijuana issue and is simply sensationalism and fear mongering without fact.

So. Now, “The police and fire department have proposed an amnesty or grace period, allowing people to disclose their location and have it properly dismantled without penalty, to help deal with the volume.” All of the equipment that was hard won by months of saving for a better light system to increase our medication? Security for our homes? We didn’t need security until Health Canada sent out our information for all of the world to see. And promises, that as patients, we would never have to deal with public knowledge of our conditions. This new system Health Canada has set up is done so that only the elite and those akin to big pharma will be considered for licensing.

Mr. Fletcher’s insulting comments are just adding to the confusion about medical marijuana and Marc Emery’s posted information which offers patients scientific studies and new research.

Dana Larson’s Sensible BC campaign — far from ill-conceived or failure with 200,000 signatures, shows that a common sense approach to marijuana is warranted. In regards to medical compassion centres, and their pricing ... just another reason why patients need the right to grow their own medicine.

We are not criminals, we are just grandparents who live a very modest life. And, for the most part, the 38,000 patients Mr. Fletcher refers to, are simply that — patients.

So, in the end, people like Mr. Fletcher, who prefer to bury their collective heads in the ground, following the party line, instead of any real study or reporting of the astounding and mounting scientific evidence regarding the benefits of marijuana, will perpetuate the real farce, that he accuses the medical marijuana community of in his biased and uninformed view.

Good luck and good health to you Mr. Fletcher. Let’s hope the police don’t come to your home with boots and batons looking for your prescription of choice any time soon.

Diane Penyige

Stop Reefer Madness Canada

Sooke

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